S04.E04 Double Life

[gingerella]

Kim and Barry's marital issues are becoming undeniable, leaving the family reeling*. Ethan keeps a secret from Olivia, but he is forced to reveal his hidden past. Moriah spends a cozy night talking with Nathan. Micah tries his first-ever Indian food in LA.

* Please provide your own barf bag for the Kim parts.

Edited June 8, 2022 by gingerella

[gingerella]

So...NOBODY CARES KIM. No.Body. This is just a big scam to get more of that sweet, sweet TLC monaayy. Fuck TLC

This whole show has become a big fat nothing burger. The only person with an actual life that I'd like to know about is Micah. Just follow him. The rest can go. Now.

[emmawoodhouse]

Kim and Barry are both so loathsome. IDGAF what happens to them, but I agree this is a play for pay.

[Gharlane]

Quote

"Double Life". Kim and Barry's marital issues are becoming undeniable, leaving the family reeling. Ethan keeps a secret from Olivia, but he is forced to reveal his hidden past. Moriah spends a cozy night talking with Nathan. Micah tries his first-ever Indian food in LA.

Ethan is totally using his cars to hide from Olivia and from other issues. Olivia making it a joint project was a good move, but what'll happen when she discovers he got a new car to restore? 🙄

I find it hard to give a shit about Kim and Barry's problems. Interesting that she no  longer seems to believe that marriage should be "looked at with eyes wide open before entering marriage and eyes half-closed during the marriage", whatever that means. 🙄

Michah's adventures in LA with his friends is interesting. Am I the only person who doesn't experience watery eyes when cutting onions? I must be old b/c I don't think I ever heard the expression "Netflix and chilling" before now and speaking of which, I wondered what he meant when he told that girl he had sex the night before. was he talking about jacking off? 🤔

I do not like seeing the commercials for TLC's trashy programming at least once per commercial break.  Yuck.

Oh yeah, Moriah and Jason spent an evening in Tampa drinking hot cocoa. Just how tall is he? Something about him pings my gaydar something fierce (ditto for Harvey).

Edited June 8, 2022 by Gharlane

[Ms.Lulu]

I still feel like Kim and Barry's marital problems are just for the show.  Barry may not know, but Kim seems to be acting.

Ethan being proud of his sneakiness means I like him a lot less.  I was married to someone like that, and my trust eroded every time I found him hiding something.  Like Ethan, he would hide rather than have a tough conversation.

Lydia is truly an emotional vampire.  She seemed to enjoy Barry's sadness.

Yes, the best part of the show was Micah and his friends.

Moriah was a non factor.

Edited June 9, 2022 by Ms.Lulu

[JeanJean]

What exactly is it that Kim wants from Barry? She keeps saying he won't give her what she wants, but she doesn't say what that is.

 When Micah said they used to eat caterpillars (for fun, not because they needed them for food), my thought was that's what happens when you don't let kids watch TV or play video games - they're cruel to animals to entertain themselves.

Edited June 8, 2022 by JeanJean

[JeanJean]

5 hours ago, Gharlane said:

I do not like seeing the commercials for TLC's trashy programming at least once per commercial break.  Yuck.

I'm  proud of TLC for doing the drag show (which is pretty sweet) and the funny history one. Kind of makes up for all the crap TLC puts on (much of which I watch, so go figure).

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Nobody cares Kim. Lydia probably peed herself with glee now that she will step up and run the family with delusions of Max as the replacement for Barry. If I were Olivia, I would just call it quits. Ethan is a petulant baby and clearly does not communicate well with her. I wonder where they stayed when they went to Kayro? Surely not at one of the "rentals" and I doubt there is even a hotel there. Moriah needs to see a real hairdresser that can do correct color, it was very two-toned blonde and looked a hot mess.

[Chicken Fingers]

How many hours did it take Moriah and Olivia's brother to make instant cocoa? That was some ridiculous, clumsy editing, trying to stretch out a whole lot of nothing. That's reality tv, I know.

The scenes with Micah's guy friends are actually pretty pleasant. One of my sons is that age and he and his friends have a similar gentle dynamic together. 

How many of us have been that young woman, in a relationship with someone obviously wrong for her, making ourselves cheerfully scrub engines or something in order to spend time together and make things work. And the guy's like, "Yeah, everything's perfect now as long as she keeps quiet and scrubs my engines!"

Kim and Barry, going for more screen time, are really outdoing themselves looking selfish and pathetic this season. They looked like narcissistic hosebeasts in previous seasons, with the churning out of a quiverful of kids and using them to meet their own needs, keeping them isolated, ignorant, and controlled. This season, Kim apparently abandons the stale leftover kids, letting them go feral, so she can chase fresh narcissistic supply outside the house. Because kids grow up and see through you and leave, so why bother. Barry's got the covert narcissist thing down, acting all hurt and innocent and making the kids comfort and reassure him. Junior narcissist Lydia appears to have been successfully groomed by her parents to be daughterwifemommy. 

[camom]

Kim is acting (and I do believe she is acting) like she is an empty nester.  There are still several children at home, yet she refers to raising children in the past tense and moves out apparently without a second thought.  What a piece of work she is.  Then there's Lydia, who looked like all her dreams were coming true with her mom out of the picture.  Strange, strange family.

Run, Olivia, run.  Being married to someone who isn't honest with you won't end well.  Better to cut your losses now and get on with your life.

[bichonblitz]

5 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

Ethan being proud of his sneakiness means I like him a lot less.

He really is proving himself to be quite the asshole. Smiling and snickering like he's proud of it, too. 

All I can see in Kim's confessionals is her lipstick bleeding from the corners of her mouth. It's gross and she needs to watch some YTube tutorials on how to apply her makeup. I would like nothing more than to see her all alone, kids disgusted with her and Barry happily moving on. Regrets are a bitch.

2 hours ago, Chicken Fingers said:

The scenes with Micah's guy friends are actually pretty pleasant. One of my sons is that age and he and his friends have a similar gentle dynamic together. 

Looks like Micah's getting plenty of tail in LA. His Indian friend is hot. I'm surprised he doesn't have more game with the ladies.  

[Gharlane]

48 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

Looks like Micah's getting plenty of tail in LA. His Indian friend is hot. I'm surprised he doesn't have more game with the ladies.  

Micah's friend from India said he had trouble speaking to women, which immediately reminded me of Raj from Big Bang Theory.

[toomuchtv]

Of course, they put it in the same episode… Micah saying how he was raised to always tell the truth while Ethan snickers about how good he is at lying. Ethan is an overgrown 10 year old and Olivia needs to just leave if she ever wants to move on to an adult, happy life.

[maxmama]

What exactly has happened in Plathville?  Catching up on episodes…suddenly Kim is leaving Barry and the family, Moriah and Max are dunzo and Ethan is back to his old tricks and behaviors again.  After raising your kids in an environment of social and emotional deprivation for your religious beliefs, suddenly Kim is feeling a bit unfulfilled in her life?  So she bails on the remaining kids and holes up in various rental houses?  No, Kim, suck it up, buttercup.  You were a partner in creating this, you don’t get to bail when YOUR needs are not being met.  Amazingly Barry is getting a better edit in this whole thing, which isn’t saying much but at least he’s buying dinner.  Max wasted no time cheating on Moriah, so good riddance.  So glad she has decided to stop the crying and whimpering; I realize she has no life experience but she comes across as a child about everything.    I hope Olivia will see the light and realize she and Ethan are just not a match.  They were young when they married but have clearly gone in different directions.  Doesn’t make either one of them bad, they’ve just changed.  Ethan wants the simple life with a country girl who shares his visions of life.  Olivia wants more of the world.  I hope they eventually get the lives they want.  

[Madding crowd]

I think so much of this is fake. I follow Ethan and Olivia on Instagram and they are traveling the world. Just today she posted a “guess what country we are going to next post”. Ethan isn’t hanging around Cairo either. Micah’s story seems real, LA is super expensive and you need roommates to survive at his age. Moriah seems really thin and fragile, I worry about her. I don’t care at all about Kim who apparently is leaving  young daughters with Lydia teaching them on her lunch hours.

Edited June 8, 2022 by Madding crowd

[charmed1]

What TLC producer is hell bent on making a “My Ethnic Friend Cooks for Me” episode every week? It’s stupid.

Nathan seems nice. I didn’t realize how freakishly tall he is.

Moriah dresses like a carny. Micah’s roommate looks like Will Smith’s oldest son, Tre.

Well I don’t know about you, but I’m on pins and needles waiting to see the outcome of the Plathville cliffhanger. Ethan tells Olivia that he bought a hooptie  is the new “Who Shot J.R.?”

[CarolMK]

I can’t believe that I’m feeling sorry for Barry , but the younger kids at home are having a hard time too . They should be in school if Kim has checked out of being a wife and mother . Kim gets no sympathy from me , she created this family and isn’t it against their beliefs to divorce? Maybe Michelle Duggar should talk to her. 
Olivia pretending to be interested in the car repairs is just a fake storyline, but she went along with it . My husband does our car repairs as a hobby and he wouldn’t want me near his garage. Ethan seems almost as selfish as Kim. 
 Moriah is still moping around and doesn’t look well. I agree she needs a better colorist and she should be careful that it doesn’t start breaking off . 
Micah and roommates are semi interesting, but he doesn’t have to talk about his love life , ugh. 

[Jeanne222]

Moriah is really looking for trouble with the way she presents herself!  Trashy hair, makeup and cheap hanging off of her clothes especially in front of Micah’s hormonal friends!

I can’t believe she’s making records with that horrible voice and singing. 

Kim thinks she’s some kind of beauty Queen but she just up and left four minor children!

Did Barry think they needed four large Pizzas???  Dumb. 

Ethan and Olivia need to say goodbye and they never should have said hello. I too wonder where they are staying in Cairo?  I’ll bet with Barry or in one of the rentals. 

The plot line in this show is bologna!

[scorp01]

Ugh, I couldn't care less about the Kim/Barry storyline.  I don't know exactly what Kim's problem is with her marriage (I fast forwarded through her parts because I didn't want to hear her whining) but you had nine children in a Fundie marriage.  You and your husband chose to shelter all nine kids from any outside influence, whether it be school or socialization or even sugar.  And now you're complaining that you lost yourself or whatever?  Spare me.  And are we supposed to sympathize with Kim now that she decided to live apart from not only Barry, but her younger kids as well?  She's really a piece of work.

The only thing I got out of the Moriah/Nathan interaction is that he is freakishly tall.  And they don't know how to make hot chocolate.

Micah and his friends seem fine.  At least he has semi-normal people he can hang out with.

Blech Lydia the emotional vampire.  Isaac cut you with a pizza crust?  Is this really what we have to listen to with her?  I may finally be figuring out who is who with the younger girls, since one or two of them got to say something.  But I don't really care.

Ethan and Olivia...just tell her you bought another car.  Why do we need to drag this out over two or three episodes?  And that's the cliffhanger?  Opening the garage door?  /eyeroll/

[Kiss my mutt]

Kim seems jealous of her older kids’ freedom and figured if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em and relive her youth, where she was the hot party girl. She’ll be dancing on a bar counter in her dancing shoes and daisy dukes in a Cairo heartbeat before too long. Now she’s too good for her fundie wife life. 

[Gharlane]

21 hours ago, scorp01 said:

Ethan and Olivia...just tell her you bought another car.  Why do we need to drag this out over two or three episodes?  And that's the cliffhanger?  Opening the garage door?  🙄

I should have known this happening in the last five minutes would end being "to be continued". I figured Olivia's reaction would be to shrug her shoulders and go back to what she was doing when Ethan interrupted her,  but noooo...

[Gharlane]

On 6/8/2022 at 2:02 PM, bichonblitz said:

He really is proving himself to be quite the asshole. Smiling and snickering like he's proud of it, too. 

I thought it was more of a mischievous smile than a prideful one.

[bichonblitz]

2 hours ago, Gharlane said:

I thought it was more of a mischievous smile than a prideful one.

Just as bad. There is nothing to smile about when you are admitting being dishonest with your wife. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by bichonblitz

[Boston]

On 6/9/2022 at 9:55 AM, Jeanne222 said:

Moriah is really looking for trouble with the way she presents herself!  Trashy hair, makeup and cheap hanging off of her clothes especially in front of Micah’s hormonal friends!

I can’t believe she’s making records with that horrible voice and singing. 

Kim thinks she’s some kind of beauty Queen but she just up and left four minor children!

Did Barry think they needed four large Pizzas???  Dumb. 

Ethan and Olivia need to say goodbye and they never should have said hello. I too wonder where they are staying in Cairo?  I’ll bet with Barry or in one of the rentals. 

The plot line in this show is bologna!

Olivia really needs to end this marriage now.  Get on with her life.  Ethan is a child; she is a woman.  

Moriah looks like she disintegrating (literally) before our eyes.  She is very immature, talks like a baby, ACTS like a baby, and her voice really sucks. I fell kinda bad for her.  She seems lost and the only thing she has is her "music" - her parents should be ashamed.

Don't even get me started on Lydia.  She's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

[camom]

Quote

Did Barry think they needed four large Pizzas???  Dumb.

Probably had to feed the film crew, too.

So is Lydia now in charge of home schooling the younger children?  In addition to her job and likely a lot of the housework and cooking?

[Kiss my mutt]

Kim just needs to have her affair and get it over with. She’s bugging the hell out of me. Maybe she and Moriah need to go meet some coeds in Athens 

[QQQQ]

Is Olivia only staying with Ethan to spite his parents? I honestly can think of no other reason to stick it out with that Hee Haw reject.

Also, why did Ethan refer to himself "baby brother" when on the phone with Moriah?

Edited June 12, 2022 by QQQQ

[CarolMK]

I follow Olivia on Instagram and she just posted that she and Ethan are in Paris for the next month. I don’t think she’s giving up on the marriage any time soon , definitely not as long as they have the tv show. Maybe they went there because this season has been kind of a snoozer for these two . Moriah hasn’t been too interesting lately either. Better enjoy it while they can , their show won’t last as long as the Duggars gravy train did. 

[Jeanne222]

I find Olivia looking older and older. Ethan seems to retain his goofy, youthful self!

 It could be her hair. Over colored?  Bad hair job?

[QQQQ]

1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:

I find Olivia looking older and older. Ethan seems to retain his goofy, youthful self!

 It could be her hair. Over colored?  Bad hair job?

The daily realization that she's hitched her wagon to a goober man-child with all the charm of toenail fungus?

[Madding crowd]

I don’t find Olivia all that charming. Insisting that only her needs matter and that anything Ethan wants is wrong; sounds like he married someone like his mother. Olivia and Moriah are besties because they both want to be famous and think the world owes them. Micah is interested in modeling and acting but is more down to earth and realistic . Having said that I don’t hate Olivia or any of them. They grew up with crazy parents and are know offered money and celebrity.

[Not Buyin It]

On 6/13/2022 at 11:57 AM, QQQQ said:

The daily realization that she's hitched her wagon to a goober man-child with all the charm of toenail fungus?

Olivia wanted a puppy she could raise/train up/control. Someone she could influence, who would adore her without question. And that's what she got: Ethan. 

Only problem is, puppies grow up.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Not Buyin It